WOODY WALDO

Wrestling has lost another great welterweight in the shape of WOODY WALDO , who was a firm favourite on the Independent circuit, working mainly for Promoters such as the late KEVIN CONNEELY, BOOBY BARRON BRIAN DIXON, JACK CASSIDY, ORIG WILLIAMS, where he appeared against National favourites like the late great JACKIE PALLO, ADRIAN STREET, MARTY JONES and MIKE JORDAN.

He was a man of great humour and constant practical jokes as recalled below.

Although not a television face that would be instantly recognised, his contribution to the Midlands and Northern wrestling scene, especially venues such as Liverpool Stadium, in the 70's/80's was invaluable and he will be sadly missed.

( At the Northern Reunion with Buddy Ward and Eddie 'Kung Fu' Hamill)

Tribute from Graham Brook.

I'm sorry to hear of the passing of Woody Waldo. I didn't know him particularly well but he did do a few shows for me, mainly with Kevin Conneely. I came across him quite a lot when I refereed for Bobby Barron and he was always playing practical jokes such as pouring shaving foam into my shoes or hiding my glasses whilst I was in the ring. I could hardly complain however. Mike Jessop helped Dodgy put the rings up and he was the brunt of far more practical jokes than myself. Dodgy had the Pontin's northern circuit in the mid-seventies and would put on two shows in Prestatyn each week, a morning show at their Tower Beach camp in Prestatyn and, with the same wrestlers, an afternoon show at their Prestatyn Sands camp down the road (it used to be the site of an American themed trotting stadium). Little worried Dodgy but he was a little concerned one week when the show was about to start and Woody Waldo (who was wrestling primarily for Orig Williams at the time and based in Rhyl) had not shown. He arrived a few minutes before bell time hardly able to move because of a genuine fight he had had in Rhyl with fellow worker Frank Cullen. He was in no state to wrestle two bouts with opponent Karl Mc.Grath. They were planned to be fast-moving affairs but the tenor of the bouts had to change considerably due to the state Woody was in. It was this, I think, which first pushed Woody Waldo into the position where he had to be a rulebender and it was a role which he came to relish in later years, particularly at Liverpool Stadium.